What can I do if I suspect a child or young person is being abused?

As a concerned member of the public, if you suspect or believe a child is suffering or is likely to suffer Significant Harm, including any form of mistreatment or abuse, you should report your concerns. Any referral will be treated in the strictest confidence.

If a child is in immediate danger or left alone, you should contact the police or call an ambulance on 999. There are numerous ways to report concerns about a child. Information on how to report both emergency and non-emergency abuse and neglect of a child is provided here. Please note: if you are a professional, please complete the form under the professional heading.

Emergency cases

PLEASE NOTE FOR EMERGENCIES: If a child is in immediate danger or left alone, you should contact the police or call an ambulance on 999.


Non-emergency cases

If you think that you or someone you know has been the victim of abuse, please tell someone. For non-emergencies, contact us using the following details: If you are concerned about a child and know that they already have a social worker, then please dial the direct contact number of the social worker. If you do not know the social worker's direct contact details, please call Onecall: 01670 536400.
 

Professionals and NCC employees

If you are a professional who works with children, you should first discuss your concerns with your manager or designated professional. If there are still concerns, please fill in this form

If you are a professional or NCC employee who has concerns around abuse or neglect of a child, fill in this form.
 

Early Help Assessments

To make a referral to the Early Help Hubs, please send your referral to earlyhelp@northumberland.gov.uk.

For enquiries about completion or registrations of Early Help Assessments, please contact Onecall: 01670 536400.

Information to help professionals working with, or caring for children/young people in an employed or voluntary role in safeguarding and promoting welfare.

Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment in England. We are committed to ensure the early recognition of neglect and improvement in agency responses to children and young people affected by neglect through strong and effective multi-agency leadership, to:
  • secure collective commitment to addressing neglect across all partner agencies and to demonstrate effective leadership in driving the appropriate system, culture and process changes required forward;
  • improve awareness and understanding of neglect across the whole partnership. This includes a common understanding of neglect and the thresholds for intervention;
  • improve the recognition, assessment and response to children and young people living in neglectful situations before statutory intervention is required, including the appropriate use of assessment tools;
  • ensure the effectiveness of service provision.